POPE'S COMMENTS SPUR VERBAL SPARRING IN BOLIVIA

UNCLAS LA PAZ 001471 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM BL SUBJECT: POPE'S COMMENTS SPUR VERBAL SPARRING IN BOLIVIA ¶1. (U) Pope Benedict XVI's May 13 comments from Brazil regarding the appearance of "authoritarian governments" in Latin America and his statement that the indigenous "silently longed" to embrace Christianity sparked an intense back and forth between the GOB and the Bolivian Catholic Church. Bolivia's Cardinal Julio Terrazas said May 15 that the GOB does not recognize Bolivia's strong mestizo nature and that since Morales' election, a sense of indigenous vindication has emerged in some sectors, to include talk of armed resistance. Responding to both the Pope and the Cardinal, President Morales called on the church May 18 to decide whether it wishes to dedicate itself "to prayer or to politics." Santa Cruz Bishop Estansilao Dowlaszwic chimed in by stating that the church will not "limit itself" to prayer and that the church's role is to not only point out what is right, but to identify and speak out on what is wrong in society. In a May 21 communiqu entitled "Freedom of Expression and the Common Good," the church united to explain that it would not only pray but would continue opining on social issues. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: As in most Latin American countries, the Catholic Church plays an important role in Bolivian society. Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, perhaps trying to reduce tensions, made a public statement that relations between the church and state are generally "good." Avoiding a direct attack on Pope Benedict XVI, Garcia Linera added that he preferred the words of John Paul II, who apologized for the church's past mistreatment of the indigenous. End Comment. GOLDBERG